The Trouble With Rebellions
by skyeblue90
Summary: Calixte Emerson, younger sister of former victor Brock Emerson, has become the newest victor of the Hunger Games. Though, trouble is on the horizon and it seems that the games don't end at the arena. There is talk of rebellion and Calixte finds herself in the middle of it all. Plenty of twists ahead. Sequel to The Trouble With Careers.


_**A/N: This is the sequel to The Trouble With Careers, so it would probably be best to read that story first in order to better understand this one! I hope everyone enjoys the sequel.**_

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_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._

It is the steady beeping sound that first breaks through the dark silence that had enveloped me. I fight to try to open my eyes, finding that they are incredibly heavy. With this realization the beeping sound begins to increase right along with my racing heart. Fear pulses through me at an alarming speed as I try to get away from whatever was holding me. Then there is a pain in my neck and it all fades into blackness once more.

I don't know how much longer I am out before that beeping is heard again. Though, this time I find that with some effort I am able to open my eyes. The light is nearly blinding, like nothing I have seen in weeks. I blink my eyes to try to get them to adjust as I hear someone moving near the place where I lay. Immediately the beeping speeds up once more as I find myself reacting to the sound. I can feel my eyes going wide as I search for whoever meant me harm. Because surely in the arena, that would be the only thing that anyone could mean me.

Then a soothing voice came to me. It was familiar. I calmed down as I turned to see my brother standing by me. My heart still raced as I tried to place the fragmented pieces together in my mind. Even as I did this my brother leaned down and brushed the hair from my eyes.

"Shhhh, if you don't calm down they are going to drug you again. You're safe now, princess."

His words sounded far away but still they were heard easily enough. The nickname that he used was what caused me to calm a bit. Only Brock had ever called me that since my mother's death. And he was here. That must mean that I had won. And then the pieces began to fall into place. I remembered kneeling on the ground as the boy who had saved me numerous times died in my arms. Or so I assumed, since he had been taken by the hovercraft. I remembered hearing his cannon after he was out of sight. Then the hovercraft had come for me. After that I remembered nothing.

_**"Where am I?"**_

My brother looked down at me. I saw concern flooding his dark blue eyes before he moved to pull the chair up to my bed so he could sit down. He took my hand gently in his before speaking.

"You're in the Capitol. Cali, you won the Hunger Games."

I expected to hear some excitement in his words but instead I only heard something that seemed to be a mixture of pity and relief. My blue eyes met his questioningly but he said nothing more. Instead he just leaned in and hugged me tightly before speaking.

"They gave you a clean bill of health. The interviews will be tonight and then we can go home. But first I think that your team is looking forward to seeing you again. It seems that you really did win them over."

There was the smallest of smiles on his lips now as he then stood and held his hand out to me to help me up. It was only now that I realized that I was no longer restrained. I took his hand, expecting to feel the same pain I felt before when I had tried to get up. Instead there was nothing. I felt completely normal aside from being a bit weak. When I stood, it took me a moment to fully regain my balance but Brock was there to keep me upright until I was able to stand on my own.

_**"Thank you… I think I'm alright now."**_

I dismissed him to allow me to walk on my own after taking a few steps to test the theory. After those first couple of steps I found that I was pretty much back to normal. I turned to look to my brother, my gaze obviously asking him 'what next'. He held out a pair of pants and a t-shirt to me from a counter against the far wall.

"First, you need to put these on unless you want to walk out of here in that hospital gown?"

There was a joking note to his tone and I looked down to see myself dressed merely in a hospital gown, just as Brock had said. I snatched the clothing from him.

_**"I'll be out in a second."**_

Then I was shooing him out the door before shutting it behind him. The clothing that he had provided for me was comfortable, but I knew that it would probably only last until they made it up to the second floor suite. Then my prep team would swarm in and I would be placed into something more elaborate. Once I was all dressed I opened the door and stepped outside. Brock was waiting just as was expected. He took my arm and led me to the elevator that would take me up to my awaiting prep team. Though, he didn't press the button for the second floor. Instead, he pressed the button to the twelfth floor. I gave him a confused look which he just returned with a look that said 'I'll explain in a minute'. I feel into silence then.

Once we were on the twelfth floor, he led me over to the stairs that would lead us up to the roof. It wasn't until I walked out into the elaborate garden that the sadness hit me like a ton of bricks. I remembered the meetings I had with Rowen here in this very place. I bit my lip slightly as I tried to ward off the memories. I took a deep breath as I walked out onto the roof, the door slamming closed behind me as I released it and the wind caught it. Brock was already over to the bench where I had sat with him before the games. I closed the distance with slightly shaky steps as I kept my eyes forward. I didn't want to look at the places where Rowen and I had spoken, where my feelings for him had begun. I knew that looking would only lead to seeing the ghost of his memory there. I wasn't ready to face that.

"We need to talk."

I hadn't even realized when I had made it all the way over to the bench. My feet seemed to have been moving on their own. Though, I was snapped out of my thoughts by my brother's voice. My pale blue eyes met his darker blue ones and I could tell that there was something wrong. Panic rushed through me once more.

_**"What is it?"**_

He motioned for me to sit down. I did so, numbly moving as I ran so many different problems through my mind. I had no idea what was going on but this couldn't be good. I knew this look that Brock was giving me and it never meant anything good.

"The stunt you pulled at the end of the games… Snow wasn't happy. It has sparked some things in the districts that he does not want. He fears rebellion, Calixte. And you are the one to bring those fears to the forefront."

He paused, obviously giving me a moment to let this all sink in. That was when the memory of how I had declared my hatred of the Capitol and the President himself came back to me. Oh gosh, I was dead… I could tell that there was more to what he was going to tell me. He was just waiting to let me get a grasp on what he had already told me before he went on. It took me a few moments to process the danger that I was in before I finally nodded.

"The Capitol and the districts expect District Two to be nothing more than the Capitol's guard dogs. Seeing someone from our district willing to speak out against them has caused hope that if they had the strongest amongst the districts on the side of an uprising that there could be hope for change."

There was another pause. I could tell that this was bad. With every new thing he said I could see my own future getting considerably dimmer. Then a question occurred to her.

_**"Why didn't the president just have me killed?"**_

There was a sad look on my brother's face as he responded.

"That would make things too obvious… The districts would think of you as a martyr. Snow doesn't want that. I fear that he will instead do anything in his power to make you pay."

I was terrified. I had been worried that he would do something to get his revenge on me. Just hearing my brother confirm that made it all too real for me to handle. I hadn't even realized that I had begun to cry until Brock brushed a tear from my cheek. Then he pulled me into a tight hug.

"Cali, you have to stay strong. You survived the Hunger Games. You can survive this. I will be with you through it all. I wish you weren't involved in this… But this may be just what we needed to get the ball rolling."

I pulled away from my brother with a look of mortification on my face. Did he just speak of getting the ball rolling on something so dangerous as a rebellion? I stared at him for a long moment, hoping that he would say it was all some sick joke.

_**"Brock, that is not funny."**_

I made sure to enunciate each word that I spoke, trying to get through to him just how unamused with this I was. But he didn't laugh or show in any way that he was being anything other than completely truthful with me.

"Don't tell me that you haven't thought of a world without the Hunger Games? I know we had it the best in our district. We were trained, we didn't go hungry, we had it good. Others aren't so lucky. You will see when you go on your victory tour. Though, there is much more that you don't know. The life of a victor isn't easy, princess. I want a better life for you."

It was almost touching. Almost. Well, it probably would be if my mind weren't on overdrive at this moment. I was panicking, I could feel my breathing becoming irregular as I felt like I couldn't draw enough air into my lungs. My brother was all I had left. I couldn't lose him too. And that was what would happen with all of this talk of rebellion. I forced myself to calm down a bit as Brock placed a gentle hand on my shoulder.

_**"Where is all of this coming from?"**_

I had never heard him talking of such things before. Why now of all times?

"There has been talk of it for some time. It has mainly only been between victors and groups in the lesser districts. I have reason to believe that there are small groups of supporters in every district. This is nothing new. We just needed someone to stir others who were on the fence to see what needed done. I think you have accomplished that."

He spoke like it wasn't entirely a bad thing and I knew that there was much more than he was telling me. Could there really be that many people that would want to rebel against those who oppressed them? It made sense, but how could I be the one to spur them to actually want to act? I shook my head in disbelief.

_**"I can't do this."**_

Brock pulled me into another hug.

"You're more than you think you are, Princess. You can do anything you set your mind to."

I pulled away, shaking my head. I just couldn't!

"Shhh, there is time to think of all this later. For now, I just need you to act like the perfect District Two victor. I need you to act happy that you have won, thankful for the chance that the Capitol has given you, and above all you have to show the pride you feel for winning for our district."

I nodded. I could do that. I could keep up that act all day if it meant the safety of my brother and those closest to me. I would be whatever I needed to be in front of that camera tonight.

I had opened my mouth to tell him that I would do whatever it took when I heard the door slam open. I turned to see my prep team filing out of the open door in a flurry of colors. They were rushing up to me as soon as they were out the door. Each one of them was squealing about how happy they were to see me again, how they had been betting on me, how they were so excited to get me ready for the interview. I forced a smile onto my face as I allowed them to lead me from the roof. I looked over my shoulder to see my brother mouth 'let the games begin'.

_And here I thought the games were over once I left the arena._

It didn't take that long for my prep team to finish with me this time. Apparently the Capitol doctors had done something that they called a 'full body polish' while I was still unconscious. I looked at my skin once they mentioned it. Upon closed inspection I realized that every little scar, bruise, and cut from the games was completely gone. It was as if none of it had ever happened. If only they had been able to scour the scars from my mind as well. Every time someone moved too quickly or surprised me, I would jump, the need to defend myself coming to the forefront. I hoped that it wouldn't be like this forever but I really knew from seeing previous victors that this was just a price for my life.

Soon enough, my prep team was done with me and they left to go get Lianna. I was a little relieved to see my stylist again. She was much different from my prep team, and while I found it hard to actually dislike them (though, I had begun to refer to them as the puppies in my head due to their overexcited naïve natures) it was different with Lianna. I actually did like her. She seemed genuine amongst all the chaos that I had faced before the games. She had been a very welcome change of pace after my over the top prep team.

When she entered my bedroom, which is where the prep team had taken me, a small smile came to my lips. She hurried over to hug me and I returned the gesture.

"I'm so glad to see you again, my little Esperanza"

I had no idea what she had just called me but there was definitely a foreign sound to the word that she had spoken. I was going to ask but as soon as we had parted from our hug, she was moving on to the clothing bag that was hung on the closet door. I looked over to it and she gave me a big smile.

"Close your eyes!"

I did as I was told, knowing that she wanted the dress to be a surprise until I was actually wearing it. And I was excited to see what she had in store for me this time. Lianna then helped me into the silky dress. It was a little tight but no more than the other dresses she had put me in where. And it was only once she had made a few adjustments to my hair and make-up that she gave me the ok to open my eyes. I looked into the mirror and once again I was stunned. I looked amazing once more.

The dress that I wore was golden in color, it seemed that she was sticking with the same general idea from my interview before the games. Though, the color was different. Instead of being the color of molten gold this dress shimmered like a freshly polished gold bar, metallic glimmer and all. It was a little longer than the others that I had worn, going down to my knees. The top was tight across my chest but then after that it was much looser. I really did like it. My hair was curled perfectly, framing my face just right. Small golden flowers were somehow weaved through some of the curls, forming a ring around my head with the small flowers. It all gave me an almost surreal look, matching my light golden make-up. I looked like some sort of golden goddess.

I wasn't sure how this fit in with my image but I assumed that there was some sort of plan.

"I take it your brother spoke with you already?"

_**"Yes… But how did you know?"**_

There was a knowing smile on the other woman's face that caused me to pause. Could she possibly be in on this whole rebellion idea? I knew better than to ask her here. Surely this room was thoroughly bugged and I didn't want to get anyone in trouble or killed. So, instead I just gave her a questioning look to which she merely nodded. So, she was in on it. With this realization I began to wonder just how many people I knew were actually involved. Soon enough there was a knock on my bedroom door, just as Lianna was helping me into a pair of sandals that greatly resembled those of the old warriors I had seen pictures of. The straps wrapped up my calves about half way.

After the knock Lianna called out for whoever was on the other side to come in. I looked up to see Tawny standing on the other side. I smiled to her. I had always had a certain respect for my mentor. Tawny beamed brightly back at me before moving over to place her arm over my shoulders as we walked out of the room. It was a friendly gesture, as if I was her equal, someone who she truly did see as a friend. And I was glad for this. I needed all the support I could get at this point.

"How are you holding up, hun?"

Her words were laced with concern like I had never heard from her before. The other woman was usually either upbeat or deadly, or a strange mixture of the two. I hadn't before seen this side of her. It seemed that I was seeing a lot of things unlike I had seen them before the games. I bit my bottom lip a bit before speaking.

_**"Alright, I guess? It's a lot to take in."**_

She nodded before removing her arm from over my shoulders and digging around in the pocket of her dress pants for a moment. When she pulled her hand out I immediately recognized the thing she held to be my token from the arena. It was the bracelet that Lianna had given me from Brock the morning I had entered the games. I smiled a bit as I allowed my previous mentor to tie the bracelet to my arm.

"Let's go show them what your made of."

The spunky side of Tawny was now back as she led the way to the elevators and through the halls that would take us to the interview stage. I took a deep breath before I was more or less shoved through the curtain and out onto the stage.

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_**A/n: So, what do you guys think? Sorry it took so long to get this up! And I would love to hear your feedback!**_


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